It is by the same Holy Spirit, and only through the Holy
Spirit that our once orphaned and lost souls murmur the aching and longing cry
of a child calling out “Abba father.” Jew and Gentile alike experience this
working that lead to their adoption into as sons to God and received the
infilling of the Holy Spirit. Now, equipped to love God wholeheartedly and love
others, Jew’s and Gentile’s were alive in Christ. But how, you might ask, would
that change their former reality?
When the Jewish Christians received the infilling of the
Holy Spirit their lives, spiritually and socially, would forever change. It
would be a transition from fulfilling an unattainable law to interacting in a
personal relationship. No longer would they need to go to the temple or need a
priest to be a leeway between them and God; now they are the temple of God. The
laws regarding clean and unclean food no longer apply to them; therefore
socially and culturally this would be a huge change. Food was, and is a very
important part of culture and now there menu is expanded. As a people they
would need to also shift into the heart of acceptance towards Gentiles, believing
God’s desire is that all, gentile and Jew, be saved by faith and believing in
Jesus. This seems like it could have been very hard and challenging for a
people who once were elect to God. It would have been overwhelming for exciting
for Jewish Christians to have their own encounters with God; not just hearing
the stories of Moses’ or the prophets encounter.
When the Gentile Christians received the infilling of the
Holy Spirit it would have shaken their lives in a powerful way. No longer are
they living to satisfy the wrath of distant, perverted and anti loving gods.
They are now able to experience the ultimate freedom and the purest of love
that satisfies within their own bodies. The supernatural realm is no longer
something to be manipulated with for darkness; now it is their reality by which
they live and love God. No longer would they live in their pagan lifestyles;
seeking to worship false gods through body mutilation, sexual practices,
beatings and human sacrifice. They would experience most importantly the love
of one true God, and experience, through the Holy Spirit, an intimacy and love
unparalleled by any former experience.
When I was seven years old at Camp Crestview in Corbett,
Oregon, I received the infilling of the Holy Spirit. I remember being
completely overwhelmed by feeling the heaviness of God’s love. It was like
nothing else I ever experienced and I cried and was filled with so much joy. I
also started speaking in tongues after my first encounter and it became for me
a lasting symbol of the supernatural work that had started within me. My dad
always told me to practice in the shower every morning to get more fluent. As I
grew in my understanding and love for the Spirit I have seen the deep love of
God through the Spirit. Deliverance from depression, conviction of sin, healing
in my body, heart, mind and soul, and prophetic words to propel me into my
identity and the fullness of what God has for me. I am so thankful for the Holy
Spirit and look forward to growing in my love and understanding of Holy Spirit.
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